Somewhere Only We Know
by twilightbystarlight
Summary: Bella looks back on her high school life and, more specifically, when she met her husband after moving to Forks. AH BxE, BxJ, AxJ, ExR
1. Preface

**Somewhere Only We Know**

**Preface**

I reached with my trembling hand to grab the icy glass of water on the bedside table. My wrinkled hand grasped onto the glass and brought it to my dry lips. I sighed at the relief the water brought as I carefully drank it, though my body was still aching terribly. I returned the glass to the table, and let my hands rest over the covers of the bed as I sat propped up with a pillow, my head against the headboard.

Sitting around my bed were my three middle-aged children. I tried to smile at them in an attempt to alleviate their worries about me. They tried to answer my smile, but each came out pained.

"You should get some rest, Mom," my eldest son said. I shook my head at my son, who was beginning to get grey hairs.

He sighed in defeat, and leaned back against his chair.

The clock on the bedside table ticked, marking every last second of my life. I felt my lips pull into a frown as I recalled my doctor's awful news I received a month ago. He had stated I had at most two years left to live. He and I both knew, however, that I wouldn't live to be another year older, not by a long shot. Bed rest, the doctor had mentioned, would be the only way to cure me, due to the absence of effective treatments for my condition.

I noticed the sudden silence of the room, my daughter looking at me with tears lining her eyes. My youngest son looked at me as though I might die at any second; his every action was careful, deliberately slow. Even as he gave me yet another blanket, he acted as though he was placing the last card on top of a whole house made fragilely out of playing cards. I sighed, thanking him quietly for his caring gesture.

The silence was beginning to take a toll on my already draining sanity, and the incessant ticking of the clock was not helping in the slightest.

"Have I ever told you about how I met your father?" I suddenly asked my children curiously, eager to ruin this silence. I frowned at my voice, which was raspy with age and sickness.

My children shook their heads, their eyes sparking with curiosity. I had never shared much about their father with them, though I felt I had substantial reasoning to that action. The tale of my late husband was filled with unbelievable love and happiness, as well as sadness. I could never find myself able to speak freely about our early years together, but I felt my children had a right to know, especially now that my days were numbered.

I took a shaky breath and began my story.

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AN: So, this is my first attempt at an all human story. I hope you all enjoy it! I will post the first chapter as soon as I can.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"I was sixteen, and living with my mother, Renee, and stepfather, Phil, in Phoenix. Phil traveled often, and one summer Renee sent me to my aunt, so that she could be with Phil. My aunt, who had visited my mom and I often, lived in Boston.

"So, on one early June morning, I gave my mom a goodbye hug, repeatedly telling her that I would call her, email her, and even send her postcards if I had the chance. The flight to Boston went smoothly, and my two month long visit with my aunt was extremely entertaining.

"I don't remember the exact details of what we did that summer, but I recall seeing a few movies and touring several historic sites, as per my aunt's request. She had always wanted an excuse to take someone on a personal walking tour of Boston, you see, and I was the perfect candidate for that, mainly because I had no choice in the whole ordeal.

"I'm regretful that I can't remember more of that trip. I recall her being fun to be around, the kind of person that made you smile immediately, no matter what was going on. You all would have loved her, had you the chance to meet her.

"One Sunday evening, I remember the day because she had taken me to her church that morning, I went to the airport to return to Phoenix. I remember waiting next to the electronic baggage check in stations as my aunt checked my flight time once more at the check in desk.

"'What do you mean?' she asked the tired looking woman on the opposite side of the counter.

"The woman's reply was slightly muffled by her loud gum chewing. 'The direct flight to Phoenix is completely booked, and it looks like the next flight isn't for another day. Let me see,' she gazed down, searching on her computer, before looking back at my aunt. 'There is a flight to Chicago, which she can take, and then connect with a flight to Phoenix. Will that work?' She gazed at my aunt apprehensively.

"My aunt looked at me, then nodded. 'That'll be fine. Here you go,' she said as she handed the worker her credit card.

"My aunt escorted me to the security check point, because she was unable to go to the gate with me. It was a teary goodbye on both of our parts, but I wiped my tears off as I walked through the metal detector, gathering my bags in the process.

"I had to run to catch my flight, and the flight attendants glared at me as I rushed down the crowded aisle of the plane towards my seat, obviously the last one to board. I hurried to the back of the plane, apologizing to passengers as I hit them with my backpack, which was slung off of one shoulder.

"As I gazed at the small signs that signaled each row number, I caught sight of two green eyes staring at me, appearing amused. I looked away from the man who possessed those deeply green eyes, finding my row number, row 24, the last row of the plane. I gasped as I realized I would be sitting next to the green-eyed man, on a two-seated aisle no less.

"I gulped as I realized how handsome he was, and how he seemed to be around my age. His eyes, which gazed intensely at me, his perfectly angular face, the gentle curve of his lips…

"I internally slapped myself for staring at him, scooting into the aisle seat and placing my bag underneath the chair in front of me. But, before I did that, I pulled out my large, used copy of 'Romeo and Juliet'. I smiled as I opened up to the bookmarked page, but frowned as I heard a low chuckle from beside me.

"Irritated, I turned towards the man with a scowl on my face. 'Yes?' I asked, upset that he would interrupt my reading of a play I found to be absolutely perfect.

"'Nothing, I just find it odd how we are reading the same book. Summer reading,' he stated calmly. I was slightly stunned by the hypnotic tone to his voice, before blinking to regain my full consciousness.

"That's cool,' I had stated as the plane began to speed up for take-off, 'though I'm reading it without it being required. Don't you like to read just for the sake of reading?'

"'Yes, just something less depressing. Give me a classic novel without the obscure ideals of true love, and I'll devour it in a night.' He stated, wrinkling his nose as he mentioned love.

"'Why are you so quick to disprove of the idea of true love?' I questioned, taken aback. Though I didn't believe in true love, as it was only found in movies and books while I was growing up, there wasn't a reason why others should question it when used in literature. 'It composes some of the best storylines!'

"The teenager next to me shook his head, his bronze hair becoming messier. 'Fictional storylines. I'm not quite into pouring my life into something that can't happen.'

"'But that's the whole point of fiction!' I groaned, nearly slapping my head on the seat in front of me in frustration. 'And personally, I think it's the rare chance of true love that makes it so appealing to authors and readers alike.'

"The man was quiet for a moment, before smiling. 'Interesting thoughts. Though I still disagree to an extent.' He extended his arm as much as he could in our cramped seating. 'I'm Edward.'

"I smiled, both at the concept that we had stopped tormenting one of my favorite book topics, as unrealistic as it was, and that he had offered his name. 'Bella,' I answered. Unfortunately, out of habit, I yawned, my eyelids becoming heavier. I internally cursed my habit of falling asleep almost immediately on flights.

"Edward yawned as well, and asked, 'So, where are you travelling this fine evening?'

"I laughed at his formality. 'I'm going home to Phoenix. Apparently my flight was overbooked, and I have to connect in Chicago. What about you?'

"Edward smiled crookedly. 'I'm going home as well, though I live just outside of Chicago. How old are you?'

"I smiled and answered 'Sixteen, though I turn seventeen in just less than two months. How old are you? And do you play any sports?' I asked, unable to think of any other good follow-up questions.

"Edward answered promptly, 'I'm seventeen, and I play baseball, run track, and play a bit of basketball. What about yourself?'

"I bit my lip, then blushed as I looked back at him. 'You remember seeing me as I headed down the aisle?' Edward nodded, looking in confusion. 'That's me on a good day. I'm one of the clumsiest people in the history of clumsy people.'

"'Huh,' he murmured. He smiled crookedly at me. 'Are you proud of that accomplishment?'

"I resisted the urge to stick my tongue out at him, and yawned once more instead. 'I'm getting tired, do you mind if I nap for a bit?' I asked, yawning yet again in the middle of my sentence.

"Edward shrugged. 'Go right ahead. I'll just listen to my iPod,' he suggested while I smiled and closed my eyes. I fell asleep almost immediately, my head resting against the head rest of my seat.

"I opened an eye when I had finished napping, unaware of where I was, as I often forgot where I was after a nap. I saw the narrow aisle of the plane, and the poor lighting over passenger's heads. I frowned, however, noticing I wasn't resting against my seat. I turned my gaze to the side, trying to find out what I was laying on without moving my head.

"I gasped, realizing how I was positioned. My right arm was halfway across Edward's midsection, and my head was resting on his shoulder. I gulped, wondering how I could find my way out of this awkward situation. I slowly eased my hand off of his torso, and brought it to my lap. I shifted my head, and brought it back to my headrest. I opened my eyes to find Edward chuckling at me.

"'What?' I yawned, trying to keep up the idea that I was unaware of my embarrassing position.

"Edward shook his head. 'You know what. I saw you open your eyes, Bella.' He was smiling widely now.

"I blushed and turned away from him. 'I can't help it. And why didn't you try to move me?'

"Edward shrugged. 'I did. But you would always go back to resting on me. Believe me,' he whispered as I looked at him. His green eyes were gazing at me in mock grief. 'I tried.'

"I couldn't help but snicker at him, but then frowned at myself for urging him on. I gazed out of the window, and out of spite, I made sure I pressed against his torso with my arm as I leaned over him. I looked at him as I did so, smiling, and he answered with a dramatic eye roll, which was accompanied by a crooked smirk. I looked back out the window, noticing that our plane was coming extremely close to the ground.

"I returned to the proper sitting position and smiled at Edward. 'So, do you have any siblings?' I asked, returning us to our questioning game from earlier.

"Edward shook his head. 'Only child. Though, I may move in with my aunt and uncle, who have a daughter, next year.'

"'Why?' I blurted out without thinking. Was I getting to personal?

"Edward smiled at my enthusiasm. 'My mom and dad are going moving to Europe next year for my dad's job, and I would be too, except for the fact that I want to finish high school in the states. And they won't leave me alone at home for however long that'll be, at least a year, so they decided, with my agreement, to ship me off to my relatives.'

"'Huh,' I said. I was at loss for another question to ask, but luckily Edward asked me the same question I asked him, if I had any siblings. "'It's just me,' I said. 'My parents divorced when I was little, so it's just been me and my mom, and her new husband Phil.' I wondered to myself why I shared that with him, because that was off-topic, and a bit personal.

"Edward looked as though he was going to say something, but he was cut off by the various flight attendants and loud speaker, each asking something different of us, to prepare us for landing. The plane landed quickly after that, and I looked over to Edward, waiting for the passengers to unclog the aisle so that I might leave.

"'Nice to meet you,' I said, at a loss of anything else to say. We both knew we'd never see the other again, yet I really enjoyed his company.

"Edward extended his hand, in a mock business man gesture. 'Nice to meet you as well, Bella.' He smiled that heart-stopping crooked grin once more, and shook his hand. I noticed that the aisles were now all but deserted.

"I sighed and gathered my belongings, getting up from the seat to get out of the plane. Edward followed me until we arrived at the actual gate, at which point I lost track of him. I looked at the large signs showing gate numbers, and ran to my next flight, barely making it in time.

"I arrived safely back in Phoenix, and Renee was there to greet me at the airport," I concluded, taking a much needed drink of water. My children looked at me in confusion, each on the edge of their various seats.

"Well? Is there more?" My daughter Elizabeth asked, her eyes alight with curiosity.

I nodded, and gazed back at the digital clock with large, bright green numbers by the side of my bed. The clock read 8:42 p.m., and I began to feel my eyelids droop. In the past few months, I had rarely ever stayed up past 8 at night. I yawned, settling in a more comfortable position on the bed.

Robert, Elizabeth's fraternal twin, stood up from his chair. "Liz, mom looks tired. It'd be best if we all leave her; tiring her out won't help her fight off the sickness."

Elizabeth nodded, and I closed my eyes, unable to keep them open any longer. "I'll stay here tonight. You two go back to your hotels."

I heard Robert and Ward, my youngest son, leave the room. I found a bittersweet happiness that my children cared about me enough to place their jobs on hold to travel across the country to help me. I heard one last pair of footsteps walk out of the room, followed by the shutting of the door to the guest room, which lay right next to my own.

I sighed, letting sleep fully take my consciousness.

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AN: So, I'm not terribly excited about this first part. It'll get better, I promise.

I just had to get some stuff established here....

Thank you so much for reading and please let me know what you think (or any events that you may want to see in the future)


	3. Chapter 2

AN: I don't know if I've done this for this story yet, and frankly I'm too lazy to check.

Here it goes, and I hope y'all aren't given heart-attacks by this shocker! I don't own Twilight, nor do I own anything in that franchise. :O

On to business: I'm going to format this differently, because it might make it easier to read, and it will definitely make it easier for me to write.

**Chapter 2**

I awoke at around seven in the morning, feeling well rested. I stretched my arms and got out of my bed, searching for my slippers on the cold wooden floor. I smiled from the warmth the slippers brought and walked slowly to my bathroom, where I proceeded to take a shower.

It was after I was all rinsed off, the vanilla scent of my body wash still lingering on my skin, that I recalled what I planned on doing today: continuing my story. I stepped out of the shower with a sigh, dried off, and got dressed for the day.

I dried my hair for a good five minutes with my blow drier before reemerging from the bathroom. I frowned at my bed, hating the idea of being confined to it, even though it was what my doctor suggested. I trudged into my kitchen, pouring myself a hot cup of coffee.

"Mom, you shouldn't be up," I heard a soft, yet authoritative, voice say from behind me.

I turned around to find my daughter with a disapproving look in her eyes. "I know that," I mumbled, and, realizing it was of no use to argue, returned to my bed.

"Can you continue with the story?" Elizabeth asked curiously. I was instantly reminded of when she was six, always questioning the workings of the world. 'Why is the sky blue?', 'Where do babies come from?', and 'Why do I have to go to school?' were her favorite questions to ask back then. I had my work cut out trying to give appropriate answers that would satisfy her inquisitiveness, at least for a brief period of time.

I nodded, pulling my covers back around me. "That was the plan," I smiled, taking another sip of coffee.

Two pairs of headlights could be seen through the window, and I realized that my sons were back. I had no clue whether they had chosen to bring their families along today.

I coughed, setting my mug on the side table. Out of breath, I gazed at Elizabeth, who looked at me sadly. "You sure you're alright? I can't get you anything? Not even a Tylenol or aspirin?"

I shook my head stubbornly. "It won't help."

Elizabeth grumbled under her breath, an action I was quite used to. She hated the fact that I refused to take any medication that might alleviate any pain I might have. However, I detested the idea of taking anything just for the sake of taking it. I knew I was getting worse, and I knew that no amount of Advil would help.

"Mom?" I heard Ward's voice call from the entry after entering the house.

"In here," was my croaky reply.

Ward and Robert came into my bedroom, sitting in the same spots as yesterday.

"Can you finish the story?" Robert asked, just as curious as Elizabeth.

I nodded and waited for my children to get settled.

"I believe the last thing I told you all was that I came back to Phoenix, right?" I asked.

Robert, Ward, and Elizabeth all nodded, and I smiled as I began to continue the story.

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_I spent a few weeks with Renee and Phil in Phoenix before realizing that Phil's schedule for his baseball team was much more hectic than we had initially expected. Almost every other week, Phil would be out of town for extended periods of time, which would leave Renee and me alone in Phoenix for extended periods of time._

_I felt terrible that Phil would be alone, and that Renee would be without Phil, because of my presence. So, about three weeks until the end of summer, I confronted Renee._

_"Mom, I want to go to Forks," I had stated. This wasn't exactly the case; I detested Forks. It was so humid and wet, while Phoenix was sunny and dry. My hatred for Forks was so great that I hadn't traveled to see my dad, who lived in Forks, for years._

_"Really?" Renee asked as she dropped the papers she was looking through. She knew how much I loathed the idea of traveling to Forks, let alone living there._

_I nodded, trying to conceal my true thoughts of Forks. "It'll help you and Phil out a whole lot," I suggested. "And I haven't seen Charlie in a while. I think it'd be good for me. And," I added, realizing something very helpful to my cause, "the new school year hasn't begun yet. I can still enroll in Forks High, just in time for my junior year."_

_Renee reluctantly agreed, though I had to convince her through out the week that I truly wanted this. I finally left Phoenix, with a few days left until the new school year, and arrived in Forks._

_Charlie, who never showed much affection, was eager to have me stay with him, and even provided me with a car. Granted, it was a good five decades older than I was, but it was a good, reliable pickup truck, which he had purchased at a discounted price from his friend, Billy Black._

_I spent a day unpacking, placing what little clothes I had that could tolerate the weather of Forks into the old dresser in the corner of my room. The next day, I drove to Port Angeles to purchase binders, spirals, and other necessary supplies for the school year._

_On the third day, Billy and Jacob Black came over to watch some sports game with Charlie. When they had come to the door, I was the one to open it. Unfortunately, I barely remembered whom they were, besides the fact that Charlie had bought my truck from them._

_"Bella, you've grown," Billy said with a smile as he wheeled into our home. I gave a nervous smile back, regretting the fact I hadn't asked more about the Black's from Charlie._

_"Yes I have," I said awkwardly, letting his son into our home._

_"Hi Bella," the boy had said._

_I gave a small wave. "Hello," I said for lack of anything else to say._

_"You don't remember me, do you?" He said with a mocking smile._

_I blushed and nodded nervously. "You caught me."_

_He extended his hand, his smile firmly on his face. "I'm Jacob, but you can call me Jake. We used to play together when we were younger."_

_I nodded, comprehension entering my mind. "I think I might remember that…"_

_Jake laughed. "It's alright. You don't have to." He walked further into my house, closing the door behind him. "So what grade are you entering?"_

_I smiled. "I'll be a junior. What about you? Will I see you roaming around Forks High?"_

_Jake smiled. "Of course. I would be going to school at the rez, but that closed last year. I'm a junior as well. Go class of two-thousand and six!" He shouted with mock enthusiasm as he stretched out each syllable of our graduation year._

_I smirked. "Maybe we'll have a class together," I said, hopeful for the fact that I may know someone going into the school year._

_Jake returned my smile, revealing a row of perfectly straight, white teeth. "Maybe."_

_We watched the game, and when it finished, Jake and Billy left. I cleaned up as much as possible, picking up the plates and beer cans from Charlie and Billy. I told Charlie goodnight, got ready for bed, and then slept, anxious for the next day._

_I woke up with the alarm buzzing tirelessly on my bedside table. With a groan, I slapped it so that it would stop, but, upon discovering technology doesn't stop when you smack it, groaned. I unplugged my alarm clock and trudged into my bathroom, brushing my teeth and combing my hair. I threw on a blouse and jeans, as well as a pair of flip-flops._

_I frowned at the fact that the majority of my shoes were flip-flops, rather than more weather appropriate shoes. With my backpack around my shoulder, I grabbed a granola bar for breakfast and hurried out of the door, taking bites of my breakfast as I ungracefully dodged puddles on the way to my truck._

_With a silent prayer, I turned the key in the ignition, smiling when the car started. After patting the dashboard in praise, I began to drive to the school, following Charlie's directions, which were scrawled on a napkin. There were plenty of parking spots left, so I grabbed a random space and hurried to the front office._

_"My name is Bella Swan," I said sweetly to the receptionist. "Where can I get my schedule?"_

_The receptionist looked up from her thickly rimmed glasses, her lips pursed and her eyes judging. "Isabella Swan?"_

_I nodded impatiently. "Yes, but I go by Bella."_

_The receptionist frowned, yet gave me a white piece of paper with my schedule neatly printed on the front._

_"Thank you," I called to her as I exited the office. I opened my schedule, reading it over as I began to walk away from the office and towards the main school._

_I must have been very caught up in the excitement that was my schedule, because I hit something and fell backwards onto the pavement._

_"I'm so sorry! So very, very sorry!" I heard a soft, high-pitched voice saying to me. I gazed up and noticed it was a girl with short black hair. She was dressed much more fashionably than myself, and she was very pretty._

_"It's alright," I muttered as I got up from the ground. I dusted off my jeans, trying in vain to rid them of the dirt on the ground._

_The girl smiled a wide, sweet grin, exposing her small pearly teeth. "Thanks. I'm just in such a hurry; I've never been this late!"_

_I gazed at my watch curiously, noticing that school shouldn't be starting for another twenty minutes. The girl, who I realized was quite short even for my five foot four inch self, grabbed my arm softly. "You still have time. Call me paranoid, but I just like to be here early, so that I can make sure I have everything complete before the bell rings. And it's the first day! I like to see who my new classmates are and share schedules, which, by the way, you don't look familiar. Are you new here? I'm sorry if you aren't, I can be really unobservant sometimes…"_

_I stopped her rambling with a smile. "Yes, I'm new. My name's Bella Swan."_

_The girl grinned once more. "My name's Alice. Alice Cullen. I'm sorry about that; I can get very wordy sometimes. Oh! May I see your schedule, Bella?"_

_I nodded and handed her my paper. She scanned the page, murmuring out loud as she read. "Homeroom with Mr. Smith, we have that together, then Latin with Grimm, we have that together as well, English with Simpson, Calculus with Weeks, American History with Sanchez, Lunch- oh! We have lunch together! That's good; you know there are two lunch periods, right?"_

_I nodded, and allowed her to continue looking over my schedule. "Seventh period Biology, and then Gym with Welch. We have those together as well."_

_I smiled to myself; Alice seemed nice, and we had a lot of classes together. I wondered if Jake would share any classes with me as well._

_Alice handed my schedule back to me. "We better get going," she advised. "We need to get seats in the back. I want to get to know you! For starters," she began as we walked into the school and down the hall, "where did you move here from?"_

_I smiled at her kindness, though I struggled to keep up with her brusque pace. "I'm from Phoenix," I said, avoiding a mob of students by another hallway. "But I've visited here before because my dad lives here."_

_Alice skillfully pushed a large boy aside, making a direct path through a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd by a classroom door. "That's neat. My family is originally from Mississippi, so I know what it's like to miss the heat. Don't worry, though," she said, looking back at me as I followed her. "You'll get used to it here." She beamed at me, revealing her white teeth, as she opened a classroom door._

_A large, portly man sat at a desk at the front of the room. I assumed he was my homeroom teacher, Mr. Smith. Alice sat in the back row of the class, patting the desk next to her._

_I smiled and sat in the desk, setting my backpack next to my desk. "Do we get lockers?" I asked Alice, wondering if that was a stupid question to ask. _

_Alice nodded. "Yup. I can show you yours now if you want. It should say your combination and locker number on your schedule. We should have enough time."_

_"Would you mind?" I asked, biting my lip. I hated the fact that she was being so helpful to me. I had nothing to offer her back._

_Alice stood up. "No problem, buddy!" She giggled and swiftly left the classroom. I tried to follow her, but ran into a large guy as I exited the classroom._

_"I'm sorry," I muttered, trying to make my way back to Alice._

_The guy stopped and pulled me back. I gulped, praying that this large person wouldn't hurt me. "You look like you're new here," the guy said with a booming laugh._

_I blushed and nodded, noticing how much taller he was than me. He also appeared very muscular. He smiled and shook his curly brown hair, "Name's Emmett McCarty. What's your name, miss?"_

_His brown eyes twinkled in a friendly, joking manner as he introduced himself to me, causing me to laugh. "I'm Bella," I said. "Bella Swan."_

_Emmett smiled. "So, Bella, where are you hurrying off to this fine fall morning?"_

_I shrugged. "I was trying to follow my friend so I could find my locker." Right as I finished that statement, a black blur entered my vision._

_"Bella! I thought I lost you!" Alice cried, hugging me. She gazed up at Emmett and smiled. "Emmett!" She shrieked, hugging him fiercely._

_Emmett chuckled. "Hey short-ness. Did you miss me?"_

_Alice smiled. "Of course! I couldn't stand it while you were at football camp." She threw herself against him dramatically. "Oh the pain."_

_Emmett laughed. "I missed you too. So, you know Bella here?"_

_Alice nodded. "Of course! I knocked her over this morning!"_

_I blushed as Emmett gazed at me before doubling over in laughter. "It's not that funny," I defended myself. "I'm just clumsy."_

_Emmett wiped his fake tears and composed himself. "Mind if I help you find your locker?"_

_I shook my head. "The more the merrier," I muttered._

_Emmett threw his arm around my shoulder. "I like you, Bella."_

_I blushed. "Um, thanks. I like you too?"_

_Alice laughed. "You'll get used to him. So, Emmett, what's your schedule?"_

_Emmett listed off his classes, and I learned we shared the same homeroom, Calculus, Lunch, and Gym class. I groaned upon learning this, because already he seemed to find my clumsiness amusing._

_We arrived at my locker very quickly, and I placed my bag in it. I grabbed a spiral and a binder and my pencil bag and hurried back to homeroom. Emmett grabbed the seat next to me so that Alice was on my right and Emmett was on my left, and we all sat in the back row._

_The bell rang, and the last few students in our homeroom class entered the room. I frowned slightly upon seeing that Jake wasn't in my homeroom class; he seemed nice, and I was looking forward to sharing a class with him._

_I ended up sharing my life story with Alice and Emmett during homeroom; they wanted to know my interests, my dislikes, and where I had traveled. I felt very comfortable around Alice and Emmett, as they seemed like friends to me already, even though I had known them for mere minutes. I hadn't had close friends in Phoenix, as I never seemed to fit in with a specific clique._

_Alice had lived in Mississippi until middle school, when she moved to Forks. Emmett had lived in Forks his entire life, and he had grown up with a large percentage of the high school. Alice was active in the arts in the high school; she auditioned and made leading roles in many of the musicals. However, she wasn't friends with the other drama students, as they all made fun of her for her short stature and "uniqueness", as Alice had put it. Emmett, on the other hand, was friendly to most of the high school population, fitting easily into the jock stereotype because of his position on the basketball team._

_The bell that signaled the end of the class period chimed and Alice escorted me to my next class. Again, she chose seats in the back of the class. When the bell rang to start the class period, Mr. Grimm introduced himself and the curriculum. He seemed nice enough, even though he gave several obscure references, many of which were dark. I realized soon enough that to thoroughly understand Mr. Grimm, one would have had to watch every comedy from the seventies to the nineties, as well as every Academy Award winning movie since my birth._

_"Students," Mr. Grimm began ominously, looking each of us in the eye. "I want you to learn the Latin. I want you to understand it more than a British king understands the aerodynamics involved with swallows. You will cry," he said, pointing to a student in the front row who responded with a gulp, "while you," he pointed to Alice, "will learn the Latin." Alice raised an eyebrow._

_I snickered at Alice, which made her slap me with her spiral._

_The class period was over before I knew it; I then had to go to English. Alice walked me to my class to make sure I could navigate the halls, even though she didn't share that class with me. "I'll save you a seat at lunch!" She cried before running to her class before she became late. I smiled at her kindness; she barely knew me, yet she was so outgoing and inviting. I hadn't made any friends like her in all the years I spent in Phoenix._

_Miss Simpson handed out pastel colored calenders and syllabuses, obviously an organized teacher. I allowed my eyes to scan down the list of books we would be reading this year, and, to my happiness, I recognized several of the titles. _

_Miss Simpson spent the class period talking, and the bell rang in the middle of her speech on what she expected from us this year. Calculus passed by quickly, with Emmett telling me about various groups and cliques in the school as we were handed yet another set of calendars and syllabuses. American History, though I was not with anyone I could recognize, passed equally fast._

_I walked in the middle of a large crowd of people, binders hitting my shoulders and backpacks whacking against my sides, as people made their was into the cafeteria as students walked out of the cafeteria. I was completely lost; large, tall students blocked my view of where I was going- I had no choice but to follow the mob. Short students would make their own paths through the mob, reaching their goal quickly. When I reached the end of the hallway, everyone seemed to travel in a different direction, and I discovered I was now in the cafeteria. _

_I paused, wondering where to sit, or where Alice might be, getting hit as others walked impatiently past myself. A small hand grabbed onto the fabric of my shirt, pulling me away from the other people. "Bella, you're gonna get trampled! You've got to assert yourself in these halls!" Alice said, her eyes filled with concern. Was she being serious?_

_Alice shook her head. "Never mind. We've got a spot for you, come on!" _

_I followed her closely, not wanting to get lost again. _

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

I yawned, while my children all leaned forward.

"What happened next?" Robert asked, standing up.

I shrugged. "I'll tell you in a moment. I would like to make myself some breakfast now, considering I was put in my bed before I could eat anything."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, but stood up as well. "I'll make you some pancakes. Don't tell 'em anything while I'm gone!"

Ward leaned forward in his chair and whispered, "Come on, Mom, you can tell us. You know we are your favorites!"

I smacked him playfully with my hand. "We're waiting for your sister." I rolled my eyes at Ward; my children could act so immaturely sometimes.

Robert walked to the door. "Liz, make me some too, please."

I heard a groan from the kitchen, along with the rattling of pots and pans. I patiently waited for my breakfast, noticing just how noisy my stomach had become from hunger.

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AN: So, I hope that style made sense to you, and I definitely hope you enjoyed it! More will come soon!

Just to clarify: Bella, being sick, is not telling her children everything in the story this detailed. She is remembering it, then relaying the stuff back. Does that make any sense at all? I'm sorry- I'm absolute shit at explaining. (Excuse my foul language- there's just no other way to describe it.)

Also, would you like me to go into deeper detail for the meat of the story? (the past)

I can easily do so if y'all request it.

Please let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions on how to make this story easier for y'all to read/understand, please let me know!

Oh, side note: Mr. Grimm, the Latin teacher is based entirely on my own Latin teacher. Very eccentric and very funny (if you pay close attention).


	4. Chapter 3

So, it looks as though this story will be a lot longer than I had anticipated. That is excellent for you; it simply means I'll be spending more time writing than I thought I would be…

On with the fun!

**Chapter 3**

Elizabeth returned with a few plates of pancakes. She struggled to make her way into the room without dropping the plates on the floor. I frowned, wanting to get up and help her, though I knew my sons would never allow me to do that.

My children were so protective of my health these days, thinking that a minute out of bed would lead to my death. It was as if they were trying to make sure I would live longer than the doctor had mentioned by preventing anything from happening to me.

Elizabeth placed my plate on the side table before returning to her seat. She pulled out her phone pressing a few buttons. I couldn't tell whether she was texting, emailing, or checking her call log. She put her phone away, tucking it in her purse.

"Mom, can you please continue?" She asked.

I shook my head, taking a bite out of the pancakes. I noticed that Elizabeth had also brought me a large glass of milk with a variety of pills sitting next to it. I had forgotten what each pill was supposed to do, and I had no clue which ones were mandatory, as Elizabeth had probably placed various vitamins with the pills.

"I guess I'll tell you in-between bites, alright?" I paused, gazing at my children's reactions. They all seemed to agree with that idea, so I continued.

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Alice had led me to her lunch table, and I sat to her left. I placed my stuff to the side of my chair. Emmett sat on my other side and was eating a burger.

Alice stood up and pulled on my arm. "Come on Bella, let's get some food."

I shrugged and stood up, grabbing my wallet from my backpack. "Alright."

The cafeteria had several lines to choose from: a salad line, a sandwich line, a hot food line. Alice led me to the sandwich line.

"So, Bella, how's your first day going?" Alice asked with a smile.

"It's good," I said. "I'm sort of surprised, though."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

I shrugged. "I just thought this school was small."

"It is." Alice said with a gesture towards the cafeteria. "That's half of our school's occupants."

I shook my head after gazing at the students sitting at the tables. "I have this family friend who goes to this school; I assumed the school would be small enough to where I'd have a few classes with him."

Alice frowned. "Who is he? He might be absent today or something."

I shook my head. "No, I saw him yesterday, and he seemed fine. His name's Jacob Black."

Alice smiled in recognition. "He's one of the kids from the rez, isn't he? He's kind of cute." She wiggled her eyebrows and giggled.

I swatted my hand at her. "I guess he is, but we're only friends."

Alice and I moved up in the line and Alice began to jump excitedly. "Oh! There's Jasper and Rosalie! My God, they've changed over the summer."

I followed Alice's gaze and saw two blond haired figures walking up to our table. The boy was very tall, possibly taller than Emmett. He was more slender than Emmett, though, and he carried something similar to a sketchpad. The girl was tall as well, and with the heels she wore, she could have been six feet tall. Her blonde hair hung in waves down to her mid back. She wasn't skinny, yet she wasn't heavy or athletic. Renee might say she had "curves in all the right places".

I looked at Alice curiously. "They've changed? What do you mean- haven't you seen them over the summer?"

Alice shook her head. "I haven't really seen anyone this summer; I spent it with my cousin and aunt and uncle. Emmett was at football camps and also acted as a councilor for the church camp of the area. Jasper and Rosalie, they're siblings, were vacationing; they were in Italy for a few weeks and then they went to the Bahamas."

My mouth dropped. "Italy and the Bahamas? Jeez, what do their parents do?"

Alice shrugged. "Their dad owns a company in Seattle. He works from home, though, and they live here because their mom likes the small town atmosphere. Emmett's dad owns a store in town, while my dad is the town's doctor."

I smiled. "That's cool. So how long have you known Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie?"

Alice smiled. "Practically since my birth. We've been friends for a very long time. School friends come and go, you know? But Emmett, Jasper, Rose and I have been close for years."

I nodded, understanding. We arrived at the front of the line and purchased our food. I simply got a turkey sandwich and water. Alice led us back to the table, smiling when she saw her friends.

"Jasper! Rose!" She cried, tossing her sandwich on the table and hugging them.

I simply sat down, while Jasper smiled and Rosalie hugged Alice back fiercely. "We missed you, Alice!"

Alice sat down promptly next to me. "Guys, this is Bella. She's from Phoenix." She gestured to me with a small side hug. "Bella, this is Jasper and Rosalie Hale."

Rosalie smiled. "You can call me Rose if you'd like."

I smiled and thanked her and began to eat my sandwich.

Alice looked at Jasper, who was sketching in his large sketchpad. "So, Jasper, did you have any hot summer romances?"

Jasper's pencil broke on the page, and he gazed up at Alice. "What?"

Rosalie laughed. "Oh, come on Jasper. What about you, Alice? Is your cousin hot or is he the nerd who stays inside playing war games on his computer"

Alice wrinkled her nose. "Are you asking if I had a summer romance with my cousin? You're gross Rose."

Rosalie blushed and laughed. "Not at all. I'm just asking for myself! If I were to visit him, would he be interested in me or the computer game?"

I couldn't imagine anyone not giving Rosalie their full attention. Her eyes were a bright blue; her lips had the perfect curve to them. She was statuesque, with a certain air to her, and long legs which were slightly exposed from her shorts. She was the kind of girl, based on appearance and personal experience, who would have had nothing to do with me in Phoenix.

Emmett laughed. "He'd probably be interested in the computer game, regardless of his hotness."

Rosalie stuck her tongue out at Emmett and threw Alice's peanut butter sandwich at Emmett, the peanut butter hitting his jacket with perfect aim.

Emmett groaned, taking off his jacket.

Rosalie smiled and began to chant, "Take it off! Take it off!"

Emmett rolled his eyes and threw his jacket on her.

Alice smirked. "Alright, Emmett. Buy me a new sandwich. Jasper, you need to eat something. Go with him!" She threw a few dollars at Emmett and all but herded him and Jasper away from the table.

Alice smiled apologetically at me when they left. "Sorry, Bella. We're a crazy bunch."

Rosalie smiled. "She'll fit in fine."

After a few moments of silence, Alice slapped her hands on the table, causing me to jump. "Rose! You didn't tell me Jasper got hotter! I mean, he was already hot, but now? You could have warned me!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "I don't see his appeal. I mean, I guess he looks good, and he has been working out a bit, but still."

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Of course you don't. He's your brother. God! Why do your parents have to make such attractive babies?" Her voice had risen by the end of her rant, and silence fell upon the table.

I began to laugh at the absurdity of the statement, and shortly after, Rosalie and Alice were laughing with me. Emmett and Jasper returned with food, Emmett throwing his sandwich in front of Alice.

"What's so funny, girls?" Emmett asked.

Alice simply shook her head, and we all controlled our laughter until it stopped completely.

I finished eating my sandwich, listening to the table's conversation as I ate.

"Have you guys seen Jessica? She's practically bursting out of her top to catch the attention of Mike, again," Alice said, watching a petite brown haired girl who wore an extremely low cut top.

"He's not even that attractive!" Rosalie said, eyeing the blond haired boy who sat across from her.

Emmett groaned. "Didn't you too make a resolution for this new school year that you wouldn't gossip?"

Alice smiled. "We said we wouldn't gossip as much." She paused, taking a bite out of her lunch. "And this isn't even gossip! We're genuinely worried for our schoolmate's choice in fashion!"

Emmett threw his arm around my shoulder. "But what about Bella here? You want to make a good impression on her, don't you?"

Rosalie smiled. "Of course we do." She looked at me with a smile, then glared at Emmett. "If you are so concerned about our gossiping, if you could even call it that," she wrinkled her nose, "then why don't you get rid of the source to our troubles?"

"You want me to kill Jessica?" Emmett whispered in shock.

Rosalie leaned across the table and slapped him over the head. "No. Absolutely not. We want you to tell Jessica in the nicest way possible not to wear those outfits that hit her chest awfully low. Then throw a jacket over her chest or something. We don't need to see that."

I watched as Emmett took a deep breath as he stood up and walked over to Jessica's table. "Is he really going to do it?" I whispered in shock.

Alice nodded. "Of course. Emmett is the sweetest guy, and he'd do anything for us."

I watched as Rosalie nodded in agreement, a far away look on her face.

"You guys seem to have it out for Jessica," I commented after a lull in conversation.

Alice's hands turned into two tiny fists. Rosalie nodded at my comment and explained. "Jessica…" She stopped, shaking her head. "She was plain mean to Alice last year. She hung out in our group for a while, but spread rumors about Alice, which have only just begun to fade. Now she hangs out with Lauren, who also has a nasty habit of spreading rumors."

"That sounds awful," I said, looking at Alice. She was so nice to me today, how could anyone do that to her?

I watched as Emmett approached Jessica's table at last. He pointed to her chest, saying things that I couldn't hear to do the space between the tables. He then took Mike's letterman jacket and placed it over her chest with a smile. Jessica's highly lip-glossed mouth was wide open as Emmett walked away.

Jasper laughed at Emmett when he came back to the table.

Alice sprung up from her seat and gave Emmett a quick hug. "Thank you, Emmett!"

Emmett simply rolled his eyes with a smile on his face.

The bell rang shortly after, and Alice led me to the Biology room. I paused, realizing I had left my wallet in the cafeteria.

Alice, noticing my worried expression, asked, "What's wrong, Bella?"

I shook my head, searching my backpack in case it was hidden under books. "I think I left my wallet in the cafeteria."

Alice looked at the door to the biology room, then back at me. "Do you know your way back here? The bell's about to ring…"

I nodded. "Go ahead. I'll be back in a minute."

I zipped my backpack up and walked against the flow of students. I found a path clear of large, pushy students to the side, so I hugged the walls, getting back to the cafeteria. I spotted my wallet on the floor, next to the chair I sat in. Relieved, I walked over to it and grabbed it, putting it safely in my backpack.

Once my wallet was away, I looked around, noticing the hallways were now empty. I gulped, rushing back to the Biology room. The bell rang, right as I reached to open the door.

I took a deep breath and proceeded to open the door.

The room was silent, and the teacher stood at the front of the room, looking at me with a disapproving gleam in his eyes. Every student looked at me, and I felt the familiar heat rise to my cheeks.

"Well, what do you want?" The teacher asked, putting some papers back on his desk.

"My name is Bella Swan. I'm in this class. Sorry I'm late," I said softly. I looked around at the students, noticing that Alice sat next to Jasper shared a two person table, and they sat in the last row. I also realized that I recognized the boy sitting in the front row.

Jacob Black sat with his books in front of him, sitting next to another large boy who I didn't know. He smiled at me, but I turned away with a blush, realizing that the teacher was speaking to me.

"I'm Mr. Banner. I appreciate my students being on time, Ms. Swan, and I hope this isn't a habit that you plan on forming," I shook my head when he paused. "Alright then. Take a seat at the desk in the back. That'll be your seat for the rest of the year."

"Okay," I murmured, heading to the last empty desk in the last row. Unfortunately, as I tried to walk unnoticed to the desk, I tripped over a textbook lying in the middle of the aisle. I mumbled an apology, keeping my head down, as I continued to the desk. I sat diagonally across from Alice and Jasper, as my desk was in the corner. I noticed that there was another chair next to me, making it the last available spot in the class besides my own seat. I put my belongings on that chair and sat down, looking at the front of the class.

Mr. Banner went through the attendance sheet, and everyone was present, as would be expected on the first day of school. He spent the rest of the class period outlining what we might expect from this year, his strict tardiness policies, and his homework policies.

Alice and Jasper whispered throughout Mr. Banner's lecture, and occasionally Alice would look back at me and offer a kind smile and try to whisper something, which I couldn't quite make out.

I rubbed my index finger along the cool top of the black desk, noticing that the trail left behind my finger was visible at a low angle. I smiled at this discovery and proceeded to draw various stars and flowers as Mr. Banner discussed our upcoming units.

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of the period. Alice jumped to my side and led me to the gym, where I'd have P.E. with her and Emmett. I learned that Rosalie also had this class with me as well.

About twenty students were already sitting cross-legged on the gym floor by the time Alice and I entered the gym. We immediately spotted Emmett, who sat next to Rosalie. Emmett waved us over, so we sat next to him, adopting the same cross-legged position.

A middle-aged man with a rather large stomach entered the gym, wearing unflattering sweat pants and a college t-shirt that advertised the University of Washington, which unfortunately failed to completely cover his mid-section. He blew his whistle and pulled out a clipboard, proceeding to call out the names of students.

"Cullen, Alice," He yelled shortly into the names.

"Here," Alice said with a smile. The teacher made some attempt to smile, but it came out more like a sneer. I flinched at the sight.

After the last name had been called, the teacher threw his clipboard carelessly behind him. The echoing thud made every student in the gym immediately straighten up.

"My name is Coach Meeks. We're gonna have a fun year, I can feel it," he paused, letting his booming voice echo around the gym walls. "You will dress out for every gym class, starting next Monday. Rain or shine, snow or sun, we will be having gym class."

Alice's eyes widened and her hand shot up into the air.

Coach Meeks spotted her hand and nodded at her. "Yes Miss…" He paused, not remembering her name.

"Alice. Alice Cullen," Alice happily supplied.

"Yes, Miss Cullen?" He asked, his arms folded on top of his stomach.

Alice smiled. "Can we supply our own gym clothes instead of the school's gym clothes?"

Coach Meeks' arms dropped to his sides. "I suppose so, Miss Cullen. You may all bring your own gym clothes as long as you have the essentials: tennis shoes, socks, appropriate undergarments, and a t-shirt. Jewelry will not be tolerated while gym class is in session."

I saw Rosalie gulp as she tugged on her necklace nervously.

"The school provides each student with the appropriate clothing items, so before you leave, sign your clothing size on this sheet so that you can get the right clothes, that is, if you want the school clothes," the coach continued. "You may sit out due to sickness or injury if you have a doctor's note."

He continued talking about gym procedures while Alice and Rosalie scooted closer to Emmett and me so that we were very huddled together.

"How do you like Forks High, Bella?" Emmett asked with a smile.

I shrugged. "It's nice. I wish I didn't have to take this class though," I said, looking back to Coach Meeks to make sure he wasn't watching us.

Emmett laughed, "Don't worry, Bella, we'll take care of you, despite your clumsiness."

I glared at him. "Thank you."

Rosalie spoke up. "I need to get some new tennis shoes. Mine are all messed up."

Alice smiled. "Can I come to? Maybe I can find some new athletic shorts. Bella? Do you want to come with us?"

I looked down at my jeans. "Um, I think I'm just going to use the school's clothes. It makes it easier; I'll probably forget to bring my clothes from home everyday…"

Alice nodded. "Alright. Rosalie, how about I pick you up at five? We can try Port Angeles."

Rosalie nodded. "Cool."

Emmett's mouth dropped open. "What is this? Am I not invited?"

Alice shrugged. "Do you need new gym shorts or shoes?"

Emmett shook his head and smiled. "No, but thank you for the offer!"

Rosalie slapped Emmett over the head.

"Come sign up now if you want the school's clothes. If you don't, then you may leave early. See you all tomorrow," Coach Meeks said with a few minutes left of class.

I stood up, stretching my legs. "I'm going to go sign the board."

Rosalie nodded and Alice smiled. "Bye, Bella!" She sang. "See you tomorrow!"

I waved weakly at her and Rosalie as I walked over to the board, getting in line. Emmett followed me, standing in line directly behind me.

"I thought you said you didn't need any new shorts or shoes?" I said, surprised he was in line with me.

Emmett shrugged. "I don't need new shoes or new shorts if I'm using the school's."

I nodded in understanding, stepping forward as the line shortened. "So what do you guys do for fun in Forks?"

Emmett shrugged. "Watch paint dry, for the most part. It's a whole town event, with a parade and everything. Sometimes we even hire a clown, but only if the paint happens to be a color other than white. If it's white paint that dries, then we get a band to play."

I rolled my eyes. "No, seriously. I didn't see a movie theater or anything in town."

Emmett smiled. "Port Angeles has the movie theater, and the majority of the shops. But we mostly hang out at each other's houses and watch DVDs or play random games. We will go to Port Angeles to see a movie every once in a while."

I nodded. "That's cool."

Emmett scooted me forward, as the line had moved forward. "Why do you ask? Are you trying to find a good place to go clubbing this lovely Monday evening?"

I laughed. "Do I seem like the clubbing type?"

Emmett shrugged. "Not really."

I smiled and stepped forward, approaching the clipboard. "Good. I was asking simply out of curiosity."

Emmett nodded. "Of course you were, Bella."

I signed my name and my clothing size on the clipboard, handing the pen to Emmett. "See you tomorrow!" I said, leaving the gym.

I pulled out my keys from my backpack and walked over to my rusty truck. I put the key in the ignition and smiled when the familiar sound of the engine running sounded. I put the radio on, singing along to "Symphony for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones as I drove down the highway to my house.

I arrived home, parking the truck to the side of the driveway to give Charlie room to park his cruiser. I turned the car off, locking it behind me, even though no one would even think to steal the old truck.

I opened the door to the house and immediately headed up to my room. My computer was old, and quite slow, so I decided to use it only for school purposes. I pulled out my hand-me-down cell phone from Renee and left her a message when no one had picked up the phone.

"Hey mom, it's Bella," I said into the small phone, sitting down on my bed. "Just calling to check in; my first day of school went well. I have a good feeling about this year. I've already made some friends who are very nice: Alice, Rosalie, Jasper, and Emmett. I guess give me a call back. I love you, mom."

I hung up the phone, tossing it on the side table of my bed. I was organizing my papers from school, finding out which ones to have Charlie sign and which to just throw away, when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I said into the receiver, putting the papers aside.

"Bella?" A soft voice said into the receiver.

"Yes?" I answered confused. "Who is this?"

"Oh, sorry," the voice said, laughing slightly. "This is Alice. I just wanted to make sure I had your number. And, I need you to have mine, as well as Rosalie's, Jasper's, and Emmett's."

I stood up from my reclined position on the floor. "Alright. So you have my number, do you want to list off the numbers?"

"Yeah, do you have a pen and or paper?" Alice said.

"Yes, go ahead."

Alice gave me all four numbers. "Those are our cell phone numbers, so you will be fine with just those. You shouldn't need our home numbers. Heck! I don't even know their home numbers!"

I smiled. "Okay. Was there anything else you wanted?"

Alice laughed. "Nope."

I paused, realizing something. "How did you even get my number?"

High-pitched laughter sounded over the phone. "Magic."

A dial tone hummed in my ear, and I realized she had hung up on me. I shrugged, tossing my phone once more on my bedside table.

I looked back at the papers in front of me, realizing I had something I could do. The syllabus for my English class listed that we were beginning a paper on _Romeo and Juliet_, our summer reading.

I decided to reread some important sections of the book, placing post it notes so I could later find those sections and quotes while actually writing my paper. I smiled at my organization and immersed myself into the work of Shakespeare.

"Bella?" A tired voice called from downstairs.

I closed my book and sat up on my floor. "Is that you, Dad?" I asked back, standing up.

"Yeah, just making sure you are home," Charlie answered.

I sighed and ran down the stairs, tripping on the last one, but I caught myself before I made impact with the floor.

"What do you want for dinner?" I asked, looking at Charlie who sat on the couch.

Charlie shrugged. "Anything sounds good."

I nodded and made my way to the kitchen, opening up the refrigerator. I spotted some buns, and realized that we also had frozen patties. "How do burgers sound?" I yelled so that Charlie could hear me.

"Sounds good, Bells!" Came the reply from the living room.

I took a deep breath and began cooking our meals, grilling the burgers on the lining of the stove.

Dinner was ready in fifteen minutes, and I had placed Charlie's burger on his plate, giving myself one as well.

"Smells delicious," Charlie said, taking a bite out of his meal.

I muttered my thanks and nibbled a bit off of my burger.

We ate in an uncomfortable silence. Charlie kept looking up at me, as if he wanted to say something, but would end up eating more of his burger. I didn't have anything to say to him, as I didn't feel any definite need for conversation.

"Bella," Charlie said after a long pause. "How was your first day of school?"

I shrugged. "Fine."

Charlie exhaled and looked around the kitchen, his napkin wadded in his hands as he gazed around. "Did you-" He paused, taking a drink of water.

I waited for him to finish his thought, but he never did. "Yes?"

Charlie dropped his napkin on the table and gazed at me. "Did you meet any new friends?"

I shrugged. "Yes I did. Alice Cullen was really nice to me…"

Charlie cut me off with a smile. "Cullen? Is that Dr. Cullen's daughter? Nice family."

I nodded. "I think so. Also, Emmett McCarty, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale."

Charlie raised his eyebrows. "The Hales, huh?"

I nodded curiously. "Yes, they're really nice."

Charlie nodded as well. "Oh I'm sure they are, I just don't see much of them around town."

I wiped my mouth after taking a last drink of milk. "Yeah. Um, I'm going to go to bed," I said, realizing how tired I was. "Can I be excused?"

Charlie nodded. "Of course."

I thanked him and put my dishes in the dishwasher, going up to the bathroom. I stripped down once the door was locked and turned the water on in the shower. I rubbed my shoulders, as the air was cold.

I placed my hand under the water of the shower, and discovered that the water was finally warm. I stepped inside the shower, relishing in the feel of the hot water against my back. I hummed to myself, putting my strawberry shampoo in my hair, a brand I've used for years.

As I rinsed my hair, I came to think about the school year ahead of me. Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were so welcoming; this year seemed as though it would be one I would enjoy.

After finishing my shower, I turned off the water, and wrapped a towel around me. I brushed my teeth and rubbed another towel around my hair to help dry it a little bit, then went back to my room.

I put on a large t-shirt and boxer shorts over my underwear, ready for bed. I ran my hand through my damp hair before lying down in my bed.

Yes, it was an early night, but I was completely tired and ready for what tomorrow would bring.

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I smiled at my children when I had finished telling the last part of that portion of the story.

Elizabeth leaned forward in her chair. "So, Jacob. Did you think he was cute?"

I shrugged. "Yes, I did think so a little bit. And I think he thought I was as well."

Robert raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"

I shook my head. "I have my reasons for believing it." I said cryptically with a smile.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "And they are?"

I smiled. "That part's coming up next. But for now, I'd like it very much if I could watch the T.V."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "More Scrubs reruns?"

I nodded. "It really takes me back. You know, Alice once made me watch a whole Scrubs marathon with her one Saturday when we were in high school? I remember it completely: we loaded ourselves up with what felt like gallons of energy drinks," I paused, coughing, "only to fall asleep before we could even think of finishing the marathon."

Ward winced. "Energy drinks? Do you know what they put in those?"

I nodded. "But they were delicious at the time."

Ward rolled his eyes. "Sure they were. Let's just watch Scrubs, okay?"

I nodded, and watched a decades old rerun of Scrubs with my children surrounding me.

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AN: It's been too long! So, I'm pretty excited about this story; it's going to be a lot different from my other ones. (Especially because it's all human, but also for other reasons).

I had to include "Scrubs" in there- it's one of my favorite TV shows. It's weird to think that in decades, "Scrub" (along with other shows) will be playing reruns which will be "classics", just like you'll watch reruns of "Happy Days" or "Cheers" or schtuff like that. Creepy...

I hope you don't mind the high school banter- you all wanted more details, so there they are! And the "attractive babies" part? It actually happened at my lunch table.

Frankly, I just hope you guys enjoy this as much as I enjoy writing/thinking this stuff up (which is a lot XD)

Please let me know what you think and thank you all for reading!!!!!!!!!!

(Also, the word count for this chapter is 5555- THAT IS FRIGGEN AWESOME!)


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

My children had left for the day, so I sat alone in my bedroom, watching the dim flickering lights of the T.V. as I sat propped up against the headboard of my bed. The blinds were closed, and the lights were off. The whole atmosphere was one normally associated with depression.

The worst part about this dreary environment was that I was so accustomed to this type of atmosphere throughout my adult life.

I sighed, realizing how it hadn't always been this way, and I immediately thought back to my story…

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The radio on the opposite side of my room beeped, causing me to open one eye.

It was morning: a school day.

I groaned, turning over in my bed, placing my pillow over my ears in an idiotic attempt to make the beeping go away. Needless to say, it didn't work.

I shivered at the cold air in my room as I threw the covers off of my body. I stumbled around, shuffling my feet unceremoniously on the carpet as I walked to the radio sitting next to my desk. I slapped the top of the radio and grinned to myself over the fact that the beeping had stopped.

I walked to the bathroom, wiping my eyes on the way there, to clean myself up for the day ahead. I then threw on a t-shirt and jeans, before remembering I was no longer in Phoenix. So, to compensate for the cold weather I knew I would face, I grabbed a light jacket.

With merely a few bites taken out of a strawberry pop tart, I was out the door and on my way to the school. As I drove along the damp stretch of highway, I sighed. My junior year had just started, and I already felt bored.

Not bored, exactly, I argued to myself. I instantly remembered Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rose, who seemed as though they were nice and friendly enough to help me through high school. I just couldn't help but feel as though high school was only a mere step that I had to get through until I could make it wherever I was destined to be in life.

And with the help of the new friends I had met, perhaps this step in life would be a lot more enjoyable.

I pulled into a parking spot, smiling at my thoughts. I hopped out of the car, nearly tripping as I did so, and hurried to homeroom.

Opening the door to the classroom, I discovered Alice was sitting in her desk, scrawling inside a composition notebook. A large cup of coffee with the familiar Starbucks logo printed on the side also sat on her desk. Hearing my footsteps as I entered the room, her head shot up and she smiled a sweet grin.

"Good morning, Bella!" She sang.

I couldn't help but smile at her cheerfulness. "Hi, Alice."

Alice closed her composition book and shoved it haphazardly in her bag. "I'm glad to see we didn't scare you away."

I shrugged. "Not at all."

Alice grinned. "So, how was your first day, now that you've had a chance to reflect?"

She seemed genuinely interested, and I couldn't help but answer honestly. "It was a bit overwhelming, but I'm glad you and your friends helped me through it. Thanks for that," I said, blushing.

Alice smiled. "No problem, Bella. You seem like a nice girl, and we've already made a group decision that we like you."

I bit my lip, not knowing how to answer that.

Alice drummed her fingers on the table before bouncing up and down slightly. "Oh! I totally forgot! Bella, did you know that we have a welcome back dance?" She paused, and interpreting my silence as a 'no', then continued. "It's this Friday. The guys ask the girls this time around."

She stopped, looking away. She pulled out her notebook and began to write some more. I couldn't help but peek out of the corner of my eye at what she was writing about. I couldn't make out her small, loopy cursive from a mere glance.

"What are you writing?" I asked, watching as a few more students entered the classroom.

Alice shrugged. "It's a book of random thoughts I get. You could call it a diary, as it has some of my private thoughts in it. It could also be seen as a journal, like a book full of short stories and poems. You know, stuff that isn't about me personally."

I nodded in understanding. Renee had a phase in which she tried to be a writer. She claimed she could write the next 'Oprah Book Club' book, but, like most things she promised to achieve during my youth, it never happened. While she was trying to write, she bought me numerous journals. Some of them were basically large yellow Legal Pads. Others, which had intricate, detailed covers, seemed too beautiful to write in.

Renee told me I should write a diary that followed my middle school years through my college years, but I could never remember to write in the journals, so I currently had a stack of empty or partially used books in my closet, because Renee suggested I take them with me to Forks.

The bell rang, waking me up from my thoughts. Emmett burst in the room right after the bell stopped ringing.

"Hey Bella," Emmett greeted in a whisper. He waved at Alice. "Hey Alice!"

Alice rolled her eyes, a smile growing on her face, and pulled out her notebook.

Emmett groaned. "Again with the notebook?"

Alice glared at him. "You know how much this notebook means to me, McCarty."

Emmett smiled and leaned towards me conspiratorially. "Less than Jasper, probably," He whispered, snickering.

I looked at Emmett questioningly, also looking at Alice, who had dropped her book in shock.

"Emmett, tell me you didn't just say that," she whispered in warning.

Emmett looked confused. "I thought everyone knew?"

Alice rolled her eyes impatiently. "No. Everyone does not know," She whispered menacingly back to him, her eyes glaring at him.

I was beyond confused. Alice saw this confusion and decided to throw me a much-needed rope. She exhaled, and turned towards me. "I've kind of been crushing on Jasper for years. And haven't quite told him. I never really had the chance, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "You really should tell him. You've thought about this for a couple of years now, Allie. And you never know what will happen; he could like you back!"

Alice shook her head in refusal. "I don't want to ruin anything! When the time comes, I'll tell him."

She returned to her notebook and wrote for the rest of the class period. Emmett and I spent the time talking in hushed voices about our selves, getting to know each other better.

By lunchtime, I was ready for the day to be over; it had dragged on for what seemed like ages. I dropped my backpack down next to my chair, and sat in the same spot I had the previous day.

"Hey Bella," Rose greeted as she sat down at the table. She sat next to me today. Jasper followed shortly after, greeting me as well.

"So, Bella, did you hear about the dance this Friday?" Rose asked excitedly.

I nodded. "I doubt I'll get asked, though. I'll probably just end up going to Seattle or something to run some errands," I said, remembering how I needed to get some clothes more suited for Forks' weather patterns.

Rose nodded. "But I'm sure you'll get asked. You're a pretty girl!"

I smiled and thanked her, yet wondered how she could have possibly thought that. I was average, in every sense: my hair was a dull brown, my eyes were a common brown, my face was generic, my body was slender, but not "knock out" or athletic or anything special. I just didn't see myself as that pretty, as I was usually around prettier people than myself: first Renee, now Rose and Alice.

We spent the lunch period talking with Emmett and Alice, and then we each headed to our next classes a little before the bell rang.

I arrived in the biology room, looking forward to the end of the school day. I was mindlessly drawing random scribbles on my paper, when I suddenly felt a presence next to me.

I looked up, praying that it wasn't the teacher. I was pleasantly surprised: it was Jake.

"Hey, Jake," I smiled. He smiled in return, and then looked somewhat nervous.

"Hey, Bella. So, have you heard about the dance yet?" He asked, his hands on the edge of the lab table.

I nodded. "Yeah, it's this Friday, right?" I asked conversationally.

Jake nodded, swallowing slightly. "Yes, it is." He looked away, but then returned his gaze to me, a newfound determination in his eyes. "I was wondering if you'd like to go with me?"

He made it a question, and I was in shock. We looked at each other awkwardly for a moment, before I realized he was waiting for an answer.

"Sure," I studdered, blushing. "I mean yes. I'd love to go with you, Jake," I smiled.

Jake smiled a wide smile in return, exposing his perfectly white teeth. "Great. I'll pick you up at six on Friday so we can grab some dinner beforehand."

I nodded in agreement. "Alright," I said awkwardly, still not quite over the initial shock from being asked to a school-sponsored dance.

Jake smiled at me briefly once more before returning to his seat at the front of the room. Alice turned around in her chair so that she was facing me.

"Bella, did that just happen?" She asked, an excited smile on her face.

I nodded, smiling, but my smile faded when I realized something. "Alice, were you listening to that whole conversation?"

Alice, unrepentant, nodded. "Of course."

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the cheesy smile from staying on my face.

Jacob Black was taking me to a dance.

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I spent the rest of the day in a blissful haze. I had never, ever been asked to a dance before. Not even with a friend posing as my date.

The one thought ringing through my mind, dulling down the happiness I felt, was whether or not Jake was bringing me to the dance as a friend, or as a date.

I was certain, by the way he looked at me, and the nerves he seemed to have when asking me, that he didn't see me as a friend. But, then again, I could always be wrong.

This internal debate led to one more question: how did I feel about him?

The moment I asked myself that, I almost slapped myself across the face. We hadn't even been on a date yet, and I had no clue as to how he felt about me. It was far too soon to ask myself questions like that.

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The next day, Alice approached me in homeroom.

"Bella, what are you wearing to the dance?" she asked, her face showed nothing but seriousness.

I shrugged. "Maybe some jeans? With a nice top? I don't know. How formal is this dance?"

Alice gasped, immediately pulling a chair up next to me. "Oh, Bella." She covered her eyes in a stressful act. "Oh dear, sweet, naïve Bella."

She whipped her head up, her earrings jingling and her hair swaying as she did so. A devious smile was plastered on her face. "We need to go shopping. The dance isn't exactly formal, but…"

Oh yes, the inevitable 'but'. Had I mentioned to Alice yet how I disliked shopping? I could literally feel my energy supply draining with each dressing room I entered. And I usually never had the money to buy good quality clothing for myself, like Alice wore. Shopping was a hassle, and I needed to make sure Alice knew that.

"Alice," I warned, trying to gain her attention as she thought to herself.

She shook her head. "No, this is essential. Perhaps a nice sundress…"

I groaned, tugging on her arm like a whining child. "Alice," my whines stretched her name into five syllables.

"Bella, don't give me that tone. I've heard it enough from Emmett. We will go shopping after school. Maybe my mom could go, too, to give us her opinions."

Alice wasn't changing her mind. My fighting was for a lost cause. I sighed in defeat and uttered the words that sealed my fate: "What time?"

Alice smiled, clapping her hands lightly. "We can pick you up right after you get home from school."

"Did you get asked to the dance?" I asked after realizing she spoke about shopping in the plural form. Was she in need of new clothes for the dance as well?

Alice nodded. "Jasper asked, but as a 'friend date.'" She groaned. "It's how I've been going to dances with Jasper for years. As friends."

"I'm sorry Alice," I said, for lack of anything better to say.

Alice shrugged. "It's alright. It's not your fault or anything." She gave me a mock condescending glare before bursting into laughter. "But seriously, don't worry about it. It should all work itself out."

I nodded in agreement. "Did Rosalie get asked yet?" I asked Alice suddenly.

Alice nodded, pulling out her journal once more. Without looking up as she scribbled in the neatly lined pages, she said, "Yeah, she got asked yesterday. Emmett asked her, wanting to go as 'friends'."

I scrunched my nose at the way she said 'friends'. "What do you mean?" I asked, clueless.

Alice shrugged. "Emmett and Rosalie have a long dating history. It just so happens that they had an amiable split this summer, leaving them currently single." She rolled her eyes, looking up at me. "It's only a matter of time before they get back together."

She slammed her book shut. "I swear! It's worse than watching Ross and Rachel from Friends!" She took a few deep breaths before opening her journal back up.

I raised an eyebrow at her sudden tantrum, but said nothing. I simply rubbed my temples, watching the large-faced clock that hung on the front wall of the classroom, praying that time would stop, which would, in effect, stop Alice from taking me shopping.

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AN: So, I think I've found a good balance of detail. Too much detail = too long of a chapter, and it'll take me forever to get the story moving. Too little detail = too short of chapters that feel more like summaries.

Thank you so much for reading, and I'm terribly sorry I haven't updated in a while!

Stay tuned for next chapter, the "shopping" chapter, where you will also meet Alice's parents!

The dance is coming up, and that is where the story, I feel, starts do develop some action.

Once again, thank you so much for reading, and PLEASE let me know how you like it! Reviews totally make my day!


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

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I was pacing the span of my bedroom. In my hand, I clutched my purse, which, from lack of use, had a thin layer of dust on the inside. A couple of twenty-dollar bills sat neatly in the wallet I normally carried around in my backpack. I had told Charlie, as he had returned from work early, that I would pay for whatever I found while shopping with Alice, but he absolutely would not allow it.

I ran my hand through my hair. Maybe Alice had forgotten, I thought to myself. Maybe I could get ahead on my homework. Maybe this could be just a normal school night.

A swift, shrill honk sounded from outside, and I groaned, seeing a white Mercedes SUV sitting in the driveway. _There goes my wishful thinking…_

I rushed down the stairs, not wanting to make Alice wait, even though I dreaded what this afternoon would bring.

I closed the door behind me, not bothering to lock it, as I paced towards the shiny car.

I opened the door, and sat in one of the two tan seats in the middle row of the luxury SUV. Alice turned around from the passenger seat, lifting up her sunglasses so they sat on the top of her head. "Good Afternoon, Bella!"

I smiled in response, and the driver turned around, her caramel swaying as she looked towards me. "Hello, Bella." She grinned, lifting her expensive looking sunglasses above her head just as Alice had done. She smiled gently, revealing shiny white teeth.

I couldn't help but smile back. She seemed to radiate kindness.

She extended her left hand towards me. Around her wrist was a tennis bracelet, and her ring finger had two exquisite, classic looking rings with diamonds on them. "I'm Alice's mother. I've been hearing quite a lot about you from Alice." She grinned kindly towards her daughter.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I said softly, shaking her hand.

She shook her head calmly. "No problem. Oh, and you can feel free to call me Esme."

I nodded, and Esme turned around, placing the sunglasses back over her eyes. Alice did the same, and Esme pulled out of my driveway skillfully, before driving on the highway. I wondered why they wore the sunglasses. It was cloudy, as it had been all day.

Alice began talking after a moment of amiable silence. "So, where should we go first, Esme?" Alice asked.

Esme exhaled while looking behind her to check her blind spot as she switched lanes. "I don't think we will find anything worth while at the department stores. At least not for what you've told me about this dance."

Alice smiled and nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking. Perhaps the small boutique by the theater? You know, the one where we got the dress with the bow that Emmett spilled the milkshake on at that one place by the drug store?"

Esme nodded. "Sounds perfect."

She turned on the radio so it was soft background music. I could hear the faint melody of "Roxanne" by the Police sound through the car as we continued on the highway.

"Bella," Esme said softly, "how are you liking the high school? I hope Alice has introduced you to Emmett and the Hales by now."

Alice gave Esme a skeptical look, and I answered, "Of course. Alice has been nothing but kind. I honestly don't think I could have made it past the first day if it wasn't for her."

Esme nodded, smiling with pride at Alice. "So, Bella, do you have any specific hobbies?"

I bit my lip, before shrugging. "I really don't have any huge interests. I've taken my share of elementary school art classes, and I really like a good classic book, but I'm too clumsy to be in any sports." Esme nodded, encouraging me to continue. "I guess I like a good movie every once in a while; I've always wanted to take a filming class, but never had the opportunity."

Alice turned around so she faced me. "That's awesome, Bella. Do you like to take pictures as well, or is it simply the whole moving camera aspect you like?"

I shrugged. "I like to take pictures. I mean, I'd never go out and buy myself a camera," _because I never had the money to_, I included mentally, "but I like the creativity you can add to pictures."

Alice smiled. "I never really took great pictures…"

Esme laughed, "We have a scrapbook set aside, filled with Alice's works of art. They're mainly family photos with her thumb in the corner, or a blurry shot of her cousin or some other family member."

Alice shook with silent laughter.

Esme smiled at me through the rearview mirror. "We'll have to show you sometime, Bella."

I nodded. "Definitely."

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Esme pulled into a spot right outside a small shop called "Lola's". Alice linked arms with me, an act that initially took me by surprise, but I eventually got used to it, as Alice made it seem like it was the most common thing ever.

Esme held the door open for us, a small chime sounding from the door as she did so, and then followed us into the store. It was a small store from the outside, but, from the inside, seemed much larger.

Rows of dresses in various colors hung on neat racks, while pairs of elegant shoes sat out on display. Mannequins were dressed in a modern, classy way, and jewelry sat out on various counter spaces.

Esme sat down on a small chair against the wall, while Alice led me to one of the larger racks of dresses. Her hands sifted through the fabric, and she would occasionally look me over, calculating.

After a few minutes of silence, Alice handed me a coral pink sundress with a white bow around the waist. "This'll do," she murmured, before looking back through the rack.

I stared at the dress in silence, in complete confusion. "Alice?" I asked after I was completely lost.

She made no answer. She simply looked at me from her stance in front of the rack.

"Am I supposed to try this on?" I asked softly.

Alice nodded curtly, smiling slightly. "Of course."

I blushed slightly and thanked her, walking to the back of the store in search of the dressing rooms.

I found three white, wooden stalls after a few moments of searching aimlessly. I let myself into the first one, and locked the door behind me. I gazed at the dress, wondering how Alice seemed to know my size.

I unzipped the dress, stepping inside it, and then zipped myself up carefully. I looked into the mirror, smoothing out the dress as I examined my reflection.

The dress fit well; it wasn't too lose or too tight around the chest area, always a plus, and the wide straps of the dress clung gently too my shoulders, but not too tightly.

The dress didn't poof out in the back, as most did due to my lack of a real butt, and it didn't constrict my midsection. I smiled, realizing I, or rather Alice, had found a dress that fit me perfectly- so perfectly, in fact, I doubted I would have to try on another one. I pumped my arms in victory, hitting one of my arms mid victory-punch on the side of the stall. I froze, and then cradled my hand against my chest.

"Ow?" I said to myself, trying to ignore the stinging feeling rising up from my knuckles.

"Everything alright, Bella?" Esme asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, I think this dress will work," I said, trying to hide the visible pain in my voice. I shook my hand, trying to get rid of the pain.

"May I see?" She asked eagerly, and I sighed.

I opened up the door, and did a quick, nervous twirl. Esme smiled. "Alice, come here!"

Alice rushed in front of the stall, beaming at me. "Bella, you look great! All you'll need are some white sandals and a necklace…"

Crap. Accessories. I'd forgotten about those. Suddenly my painful victory punch seemed to be in vain.

Alice smiled. "Don't worry, Bella. I've got some you can borrow. I think we're done here anyways," she trailed off.

I looked down at her, noticing she too was wearing a sundress she had tried on. It was white, with subtle lace details. I complemented her on the dress; I honestly believed by now that she could wear a garbage bag and still look like a supermodel.

Alice beamed at me. "Thank you Bella," she said, giving me a small hug. She looked at Esme. "What time is it?"

Esme bit her lip and checked her watch. "It's five thirty."

Alice nodded, calculating. "So, by the time we get back to Forks, it'll be dinner time?"

Esme nodded, a smile on her face. She knew where Alice was going with this.

"So, then, could Bella have dinner with us? Please?" Alice said, her eyes pleading.

Esme nodded. "It's fine with me. Bella, would your father be alright with this?"

I nodded. "I'll call him now," I suggested.

Esme nodded, and then pursed her lips. "Bella, Alice? Could you slip on your street clothes so I can pay for the dresses?"

I nodded, walking back to the stall. Then I realized Esme was paying for the dress. I slipped off the dress once in the stall, and checked out the price tag. I dropped the dress, stunned: three hundred and fifty dollars for a sundress?

"Esme," I said, my voice shaking with shock. "I can't let you pay for this." Hell, I can't let myself pay for this. I checked my purse, frowning at the pair of twenty-dollar bills that sat there.

"Bella, I insist. It was us who chose to shop here. Consider it our welcome gift to you," She said from the other side of the door.

I sighed as I slipped on my jeans, struggling not to fall on my face as I tripped in one of the legs. "No, really. Please-"

"Bella Swan, we are paying for your dress and that's that," Alice commanded from the other side of the door.

I was about to protest, when I saw a thin, white hand reach from the six-inch space between the white door and the wooden floor. It felt around, before snatching the dress, which was lying on the floor by my feet, as I had yet to hang it up. The hand retreated with the dress, disappearing from my stall.

"Got it!" Alice cried victoriously.

I couldn't make any words form. "I- bu- yuh-"

"Save it, Bella. We've got the goods, and we're paying." Alice said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

I growled in reply, opening the door with my clothes finally on.

Esme smiled apologetically towards me. "I'm sorry, Bella, but please, let us pay."

I sighed, unable to say no, partially out of fear of what Alice would do if I didn't, and partially because I couldn't say no to Esme's pleading. "Okay," I sighed in surrender.

Alice grinned and linked her elbow with my own. "Thank you, Bella."

I shook my head. "No, I should be thanking you. Thank you for paying for the dress."

Alice smiled. "It's no problem. Really."

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The front door opened, and the familiar chime sounded. "Mom?" A careful voice sounded through the house.

I responded, shaken from my reminiscing. "In here," I called, grabbing the glass of water by my bed to ease my aching throat.

Elizabeth walked into my room, her hair down, wearing a casual dress. Behind her were her husband, Steve, and her two teenage daughters, Marie and Emily. Steve was taller, with dark brown hair. He wore a simple button down shirt and dark jeans. Marie was my oldest grandchild at eighteen, and had light brown hair. Emily, who had short blond hair, was fifteen, and wore a light blue dress, while Marie wore a white skirt and a sweater.

"Hey, Grandma," Emily said with a smile.

I smiled back. "This is a surprise."

Elizabeth nodded. "We thought you might like some company for dinner."

I nodded. "Sounds great. What do you all want?" I said, getting up from my bed.

Steve frowned. "Bella please let us take care of dinner. You can talk to the girls while Elizabeth and I cook."

I sighed. "There's fish in the freezer, along with patties and chicken. You guys can choose."

Steve nodded, and walked out of the room with Elizabeth. Marie walked to my side.

"Grandma? Mom told us that you were telling her about when you were younger and met Grandpa," She said, biting her lip. She looked at Emily.

Emily was looking at me curiously. "Will you tell us some of the story?"

I nodded, honored that they would like to hear about my old story. They could have easily preferred to talk about their own, much more interesting lives.

We walked towards the dining room, which was next to the kitchen. A simple open doorway separated the two rooms. I sat in a chair, and Emily and Marie sat across from me with eager eyes.

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AN: So, I wrote this from under a large pile of blankets and tissues while staying home from school sick. Hope it makes sense, as I was kinda really out of it, and should not have been writing if I'm to be truly honest with myself.

I'm really excited about this story. So, I'll probably be updating this one more often than my others.

I was going to add more to this chapter, but I realized that would have made the chapter MUCH longer than tolerable.

Also: Although I love Ms. Meyer's stories (as you can prob-ly tell from my being on this site and writing these stories) I have something I want to complain about. Bella has no friggen hobbies! She reads, and what? Rides motercycles? That was the only real "hobby" Bella had in the whole franchise, unless kissing your vampiric boyfriend is a hobby... *thinks to self* I don't think it is, as much as I would like having a vampire boyfriend to kiss. And I couldn't include that she likes motorcycles in this chapter because she only liked that so she could hear Edward, which doesn't apply to this story, as (big surprise) my plot does not lead to any of that needing to take place. AND it was Jacob that showed her that, and Jacob hasn't interacted with Bella enough to have showed her that. So, that's my rambling about why I gave Bella something to like: if she likes movies, perhaps she'd be interested in film and picture taking (she did have a scrapbook in the series...) Anyhoo, methinks I'm done making my point. *steps off of soap box but trips and falls on face in the process*

Did that make ANY sense? If it didn't, remember: at the moment, I'm a delirious sick person who can't even keep her thoughts straight at the moment. If it DID make sense, yay!

So, please let me know what you think (aka review! It makes me happy!) and thank you for reading!

Ah, sorry, just remembered. In my other story, Come What May, I did this fun thing where I shared a random bit of my playlist (like, what inspired me to write that, or just some random songs I had stuck in my head.) So, as I am making this my #1 project for the time being, that shall happen here. I don't remember why I started it, I just know that it made me happy. And that's all that matters. (not really, but I do like being happy....)

Songs: Vogue (madonna), Be somebody (Kings of Leon), and Take back the City (snow patrol)

Random Song: Moonglow (Benny Goodman). Ah, such a good song. I'll hum it sometimes, but no one knows what I'm humming. Sad. Look for this song later on in this story. (Much, Much, Much later on.)

AGAIN: Please review, and thank you so much for reading! (And, sorry for the rambling A/N)


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

My granddaughters sat in front of me eagerly. I wondered briefly where I should begin telling the story. Their mom could fill them in on stuff they missed, I reminded myself internally.

I smiled at them and began, "I was invited to the 'Welcome Back Dance' for the school by Jacob Black. He was really nice, and was one of my only acquaintances or friends in Forks that far. My other friends were Alice Cullen, Emmett McCarty, and Rose and Jasper Hale. I know that may not seem like much, but keep in mind it was only my first week of school in a brand new town."

Emily and Marie nodded in understanding. Their parents had them move a few times over the years, twice during elementary school, and once in junior high.

"So, Alice had graciously invited me to shop with her mom, Esme, and they bought my dress, as much as I tried to fight them on the issue. I swear, they seemed to give no care to money whatsoever," I said, remembering what happened next.

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Esme drove Alice and I back to Forks in the white Mercedes SUV. Alice sat in the back with me this time, the dresses sitting in the front seat.

"Bella, I have to show you my room. Oh, you aren't allergic to cats, are you?" She asked nervously.

I shook my head no. "Not at all."

Alice smiled. "Good, because I have kittens. We keep them in our guest room. And we have a dog. Her name is Claire, but we call her Meg, Poopers, Schmackers, or Dog."

I raised an eyebrow. "Poopers? Schmackers? _Dog?_"

Alice giggled and nodded. "She's very intelligent, but sometimes she gets annoying. She really likes to, um, sniff Rose's lady region for some reason, but she won't with anyone else. It's really weird, and funny."

I smiled. "But you call your dog '_Dog'_?"

Alice shrugged, as if it were natural to do so. "Of course. She _is_ a dog, Bella."

I simply looked at her, unimpressed with her answer.

Alice's mouth tugged at the corners before breaking out into a full-fledged smile. I could tell she wasn't about to tell me whatever other reason she had for calling her dog 'Dog', if there was one.

Esme pulled in to a large, tree-lined driveway, which seemed to never quite end. After a few more moments of following this driveway, Esme pulled into a large garage that held other expensive looking cars and turned the car off.

"We're home," Esme sung with a smile. "I'll go ahead and get some dinner ready. Alice, your father should be home in half an hour. Plan on that being dinner time."

Alice nodded at her mother's instructions and led me out of the car and into the house. I was absolutely speechless.

"It's… gorgeous," I stammered, unable to find any other description to fit the grandeur of the home. Everything was light, open.

Alice smiled, "Thank you, Bella," and then led me, or rather pulled me, up to her room, as I was lost in my surroundings.

She pushed open the cracked door to her room, revealing more of a suite than a bedroom. A large queen sized bed was piled with what looked like very fluffy white pillows. Her comforter was a stunning white, and a thin white canopy of fabric draped over her bed, with the sides of it tied to each of the four posts of her bed.

Her walls were a light blue, and her floors were wooden. A large window covered a whole wall of her room, giving us a wonderful view of the forest below us. A white desk with a bookshelf to the side sat opposite to her bed, and a shiny silver Mac laptop sat open. A large doorway, with two wide French doors opened to a incredible bathroom, complete with large tub, walk in shower, large counter top with beauty products sitting on top, and small area of the counter where a white chair sat in front of wide mirrors.

"Bella?" Alice asked after I had been admiring her room.

"This is your room?" I asked, my eyes no doubt popping out of their sockets in shock by now.

Alice nodded. "Silly Bella. Of course it's my room." She paused, looking around, then grabbed a large, black, leather book from her bookshelf and hopped lithely onto her bed. She patted the spot next to her and opened the book on her lap.

I ambled over to the bed and plopped myself next to Alice, my stomach on her bed and my feet swaying in the air, my ankles crossed. Alice copied my position and showed me the book.

'Alice's Photography' was written in large, black, elegant script on the front cover.

I smiled, excited to see the contents of the book.

Alice turned the page, showing four pictures of blurry flowers. I had to struggle to guess what each flower was. "Is that a… sunflower?" I said, smiling as I pointed to the third picture, which had a streak of yellow and a blur of brown.

Alice smiled. "You are the only one to get that!" She squealed in pride and gave me a quick hug before turning the page.

She turned the page, revealing five out of focus pictures. I squinted at them, and realized they were pictures of dolls. I giggled. "Are those..."

Alice smiled. "Hell yes! Those are American Girl Dolls. I had all of them. Molly, Samantha, Josephine…"

I smiled. "I only had Molly. I kind of broke her, though."

Alice snickered. "All of mine had to play makeover. I had all of those little hair kits and salon equipment for them."

We laughed and turned the page.

The next page held four pictures, and it seemed as though they were taken in succession. The first had a blurry woman sitting in front of streaks of color, which I assumed to be a garden. The second picture had the woman slightly closer, while the third was merely a yard or so away from the subject.

The fourth picture was of the woman looking at the camera, clearly surprised, but a wide smile was on her face. I recognized her to be Esme, even though she appeared much younger than now, if that was even possible. Esme seriously looked to be no more than thirty.

Alice smiled at the pictures, and then flipped the page. One picture was of a man, but a pale form obscured the corner. "What is that?" I asked, pointing to the blurry figure.

Alice blushed slightly. "My thumb."

I snickered and turned the page. One of the pictures was of a young boy in a tree. His arm clutched the trunk of the tree tightly, and he sat with his knees against his chest, his feet barely on the branch he sat on. He had large green eyes and bronze colored hair, which covered part of his face as he leaned over in the tree. "Who is that?" I asked.

Alice smiled. "That's my cousin Edward, the one who I saw this summer. He's our age now, actually. All these pictures were taken like ten years ago."

I smiled, and looked back at the picture. The boy smiled a wide, carefree smile, and I could see his tongue pressing against the gap left from his missing two front teeth.

We continued looking at pictures, some of better quality than others, and some of the subjects seeming completely surprised by the picture.

We heard a soft call from outside of the room. "Alice, dinner!"

Alice shut the book, leaving it on her bed as she hopped off of her bed. "Come on, Bella!"

I followed her out of the room and downstairs towards the large wooden table set with four placemats, plates, and various utensils. A bowl of salad sat on the table, as well as a bowl of pasta and another bowl of sauce. Rolls sat in a small basket. It smelled absolutely delicious.

Alice sat down in one spot, and I sat next to her. A man, who I realized was in several of the pictures I had seen, walked into the room.

He walked straight towards me. "Hello, I'm Carlisle, Alice's father." He had blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile on his face. He looked a lot younger than I expected him to be; he was the father of a high school student, yet looked to be thirty or so years old. He extended a hand towards me and I took it hesitantly.

"I'm Bella. Thank you for having me," I said softly.

Carlisle smiled. "Any time. Esme? Where are you, dear?" He called towards the kitchen.

Esme walked into the room with a glass of wine for her and Carlisle. "All done. Shall we eat?"

Alice smiled and nodded, grabbing the salad and pasta, giving herself generous helpings.

Was she seriously going to eat that much? Where did it all go? I wondered, watching her scoop the sauce onto her pasta. I shook my head and gave myself some salad and chicken, opting not to have too much of the pasta because I didn't feel too terribly hungry.

I took a bite of the meal and smiled. "Esme, this is delicious!"

Esme smiled. "Thank you, Bella." She turned to her husband. "How was work?"

Carlisle sighed. "Billy Black came in today. He isn't doing anything to help his health. His diabetes is worse, yet he refuses any of the things I suggest, including a simple pump."

I swallowed nervously. "Why does he refuse? He seemed like a rational guy," I thought out loud.

Carlisle smiled. "I honestly don't know, Bella. He only really comes in for yearly checkups now. Fortunately his son is trying to explain the benefits of the different treatments, even the benefits of a healthier diet. Billy could really use the medicine, although I respect his decision."

The table got quiet, and Carlisle looked at Alice. "Did you girls find your dresses?"

Alice nodded. "They're absolutely perfect."

She opened her mouth to say more, but Carlisle looked at her meaningfully.

Alice rolled her eyes. "And yes, they are age appropriate."

Carlisle chuckled. "Good then."

Dinner continued with friendly banter among the Cullen's, and eventually we had finished. Esme looked at the clock behind her and gasped.

"Bella, we have completely lost track of time. Alice should probably take you home now," she said, beginning to clear plates.

I looked at Alice's plate, noticing everything was gone. _Had she eaten everything she put on her plate?_ I thought in disbelief.

"Can I show her the dog first?" Alice asked, pleading, as she took her and my plate to the counter.

Esme nodded. "Make it quick, though. I don't want Bella's father to get too angry."

I followed Alice away from the table, saying, "It was nice to meet you," to both Esme and Carlisle.

We went through a hallway to the back door of the house. Alice opened the door, allowing me to go outside first.

The Cullen's had a very large backyard. It had no fences, and seemed to stretch out into the woods. There was a large, colorful garden near the house, with a few benches and a small fountain. The sky was dark, a deep grey overhead formed partly by the clouds, and partly from the late hour.

Alice whistled, and a medium sized dog galloped towards us. It was wagging its stump of a tail, and had a thick white coat with a black ears and a large black spot on its back. The dog was cute, but I stayed a good distance away, unsure of how the dog would want to greet me.

"Poopers!" Alice cried, bending down to envelope the dog in a hug.

I snickered as Claire licked Alice's cheek.

Alice stood up, brushing herself off. "Poopers, sit."

"Should I call Claire 'Poopers' too?" I asked, unsure.

Alice nodded. "Of course!"

I smiled. "Hello, there, Poopers," I said to the dog in front of me.

And I swore, Claire seemed to smile back at me. Were dogs supposed to smile?

Alice smiled. "Do you want to see her trick? She isn't a very well behaved dog, because she's too smart for her own good."

I nodded. "Sure."

I was expecting a simple 'sit' or 'shake' trick from Claire, but I was completely surprised when Alice yelled into the night.

"POOOOOOOOOPERRRS!" She cried, leaning her head back slightly, a wide smile on her face.

I looked at the dog, which had its head tilted to the side, her ears perked up.

Then, the dog leaned her head back and howled.

Alice would yell again, higher, and then Claire would respond by howling in a higher tone. If Alice whisper-yelled, Poopers' howl was quiet, more like a moan than a yelp.

Alice smiled. "What do you think?"

I smiled. "That was excellent."

Alice laughed. "Most people find it slightly annoying. Well," She paused, thinking. "Just my cousin finds it annoying."

"Is he not a dog person?" I asked, curiously. That trick was amazing; I had never seen a dog that could 'sing' before.

Alice shook her head violently. "Not at all. But we all know he still loves Claire."

I smiled, and Alice paused. "We should probably get you home," she said, looking down at her phone.

I nodded and followed her around the house towards the garage, which was quite large.

Alice hopped into the front seat of a shiny yellow Volkswagen Bug convertible. I slipped into the passenger seat. She messed with the controls briefly once the car was on, and found a radio station she seemed to enjoy.

She drove me home, driving faster and more recklessly than I would, singing along to songs I had never heard before.

When she pulled up to my house, she smiled at me. "Have a nice night, Bella. I'll see you tomorrow!"

I thanked her and left, walking up to the door. As I went to turn the doorknob, I realized I had left my dress at Alice's home. I looked behind me, hoping to catch her before she left so I could tell her, but realized she was gone already.

I briefly considered calling or texting her with my crappy phone, but decided against it. I didn't quite trust Alice's driving, let alone her driving while answering her phone.

I let myself into my house, going up to my room when I noticed Charlie must have been asleep in his room. I brushed my teeth and showered quickly before going to bed.

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On Friday morning, I had woken early to the sound of my alarm clock as usual. I could hear Charlie moving around in his room getting ready for his day while I got ready in the bathroom.

I quickly grabbed a pop tart and entered my car, choosing to eat the pop tart as I drove. I was running a bit late, so I had a bit of trouble finding a parking spot. However, I managed to scramble into homeroom with a minute to spare.

Alice and Emmett smiled at me when I entered the room; Alice had a large cup of coffee sitting on her desk.

I placed my stuff down to my side and sat in my chair.

"You've survived your first week so far," Emmett said, smiling widely.

"It is Friday, isn't it?" I said, remembering the date. The school days seemed to blend together easily, making it difficult to discern a specific weekday from another.

Alice smiled. "Do you know what else today is?"

I shook my head, trying to figure out what she meant before remembering. "Ah shoot. The dance. You have my dress, right?"

Alice nodded. "My mom's dropping it off at your house today."

I nodded back, becoming increasingly anxious about the dance.

It wasn't that I was excited for the dance; it was just that I had never been to one before, let alone with a date. I didn't know what to expect at all. I pictured how Jacob might look when he picked me up for dinner…

…We were going to dinner together, right?

I froze, realizing I had forgotten our plans. Should I confront him and come clean, telling him that I forgot? Should I play it cool and assume that we're going to dinner?

I groaned out loud, ignoring the odd looks I got from my classmates, and decided to drop the matter completely, hoping that it would work itself out.

The day hurried by with me trying, and failing, to put aside the whole 'dance' issues. I didn't know how to dance, I didn't know what to expect, I didn't know my plans, and I didn't know all that much about my date, if I was being truly honest to myself.

By lunchtime, I was freaking out. I only purchased lemonade for lunch, hoping some of the sugars would provide me energy without messing up my already fluttering stomach.

I placed my lemonade bottle on the lunch table after buying it, getting weird looks from Rosalie, who was sitting with her salad and half sandwich.

"You're eating more than that, right?" she asked. One of her eyebrows rose as she looked disapprovingly at me.

I shook my head, gripping my stomach. "I feel like I'm going to hurl," I said, blushing when I realized my mouth had spoken without my brain's consent. Couldn't I have said something a little less unpleasant?

Rosalie grinned shaking her head. "Gross. But feel better for the dance."

I nodded, unscrewing the cap of the bottle to take a drink of my meager lunch.

Alice, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie talked about the dance throughout lunch.

After Alice described a new dance she wanted to try and get the whole student body to perform, Emmett got a mischievous smile.

"If I decided to start a break-dance competition, what would you do?" Emmett asked Rosalie between bites of his burger.

Rosalie shrugged, immediately saying in an indifferent fashion, "Castrate you." She then took a bite of her salad, as if nothing had happened.

Emmett choked on his burger while Alice and Jasper doubled over in laughter at Rosalie's offhanded, obscure remark.

I couldn't help but laugh at her delivery along with the others. I had been here a week, and thought I understood Forks High well enough, but apparently I had a lot to learn.

When biology had arrived, I hurried to my seat, waiting for Jacob to arrive. I found myself a bit annoyed when, with only a minute to spare, Jacob still hadn't arrived.

I began to give excuses for why he wasn't present. Did he contract a deadly virus? Did he fall and break both legs? Did a bear eat him?

I shivered at the last thought. That could easily happen in this kind of rural town.

"Stupid bear attacks," I muttered to myself, then realized I had said that out loud.

Alice was turned around and snickered at my remark. I shrugged at her, trying to relay that I wasn't insane, thought even I questioned that.

I looked back up at the door, and noticed Jacob was just now entering the room.

Well it's about time, I thought to myself.

Jacob paused, gaining eye contact with me. He then rushed to my table then rushed back to his seat, sitting down right before the bell rang.

_What?_ I thought curiously, before looking down at my desk. He had placed a small white paper on my desk.

I picked up the page, noticing the messy handwriting on the paper.

**Bella- I'll pick you up at 7 for dinner, then we'll drive to the dance. **

**Can't wait. **

**-Jacob.**

I smiled at the paper, realizing my worry was for nothing. I even blushed a little at the small heart at the bottom of the page.

I looked up, noticing Jacob was looking at me from the front of the room. He looked as though he was asking me a question.

I nodded, smiling, trying to convey to him that I was fine with his plans.

He grinned widely at me response, and then turned around in his seat so he was facing the front of the room again.

I pulled my notebook out, beginning to take notes now that our teacher had begun a lecture to us about ecology.

Between my bullet points of speciation, I looked up from my notes and noticed Jacob was looking at me.

I blushed and smiled awkwardly, at which he would smile back. This game continued the rest of the period: me looking up from my notes and smiling awkwardly at Jacob, who would smile back.

I had never felt more relieved when the bell rang. I couldn't handle the clumsy game with Jacob anymore. I quickly gathered my things and hurried on to gym, Jacob's not neatly folded in my pocket.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Emily sat with her head held up by her hand, her elbow propped up on the table.

"Did you have a crush on Jacob, Grandma?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

I thought about that for a moment. "He was very sweet, and easy to talk to. And he asked me to the dance, which I found to be really nice."

Emily wasn't satisfied with my answer.

I sighed, answering her for real. "We were friends going to a dance together. But, looking back, I'd say I did have some feelings for him."

Emily and Marie squealed in delight. And I took that as my cue to continue.

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AN: Once again, I apologize. Unfortunately, the spring seems to be the busiest part of a high-schooler's year, with AP exams, finals, and state mandated tests. Unfortunately, to add to my busy schedule, my sister graduated yesterday. So, I've been helping her with a lot of stuff, and family was in town so I couldn't be on my computer, blah blah blah. AND my computer friggen crashed in April so it had to be taken in and all that jazz. These are my lovely excuses, and I hope you don't schlap me for this late update.

I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I tried to include enough to keep the plot moving (oh, and the dance and dinner will be in the next chapter, which I'm already working on), as well as enough light bits to keep you all entertained.

For those of you who don't know: American Girl Dolls are these large dolls that you could dress and buy items and activities for. Very popular among the elementary school kids I babysit. And they were around when I was at that age, too.

And, Alice's dog's real name is Claire. Yet, I will let Alice and company call her 'Poopers' or 'Dog', as well as 'Claire'. I found that this would seem more realistic, as dog owners (like myself) rarely call their dog by their real name. (ex. I call my dog, Ginger, 'Poopers', 'Schmackers', 'Puppy', and other weird names.)

Ah, what else? Oh! It's summer now, so I'll be updating A LOT MORE when I'm in town! Expect an update to No Sunlight soon, then a Ruby Falls update shortly after, and we'll see from there.

I love you all! Thank you for reading this and please, please, please let me know what you think! I need feedback, be it positive or negative, or if you have anything you'd like to see in the future!


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